A Filipino domestic worker who claims she was exploited by her employer in Jordan for nine years was finally able to escape from her ordeal. Isa Al-Maeda left the Philippines to work in Jordan in order to support her ill parents and her siblings, CNN reported. She was promised a monthly salary of US$500. However, she was only paid that much for her first month, then only $300 in the second and third months. After that, she claims her employer stopped paying her altogether and kept her passport. She says she worked for 17 hours each day without any rest. She was not able to renew her work and residency permits and ended up working as an illegal immigrant. In 2015, Al-Maeda was able escape from her employer after she made contact with her sister, who was traveling from Dubai to Jordan. Al-Maeda went to Amman, where she worked illegally to make up for the nine years she was not paid. Al-Maeda then went to Tamkeen, a non-governmental organization in Jordan that specializes in providing legal aid to migrant workers, and there she learned of her rights. However, such cases take years to work their way through Jordan’s courts, too long for Al-Maeda to see justice done. She was deported back to the Philippines in November. Source URL |
